Historian Janis Gibbs Receives International Research Fellowship

Dr. Janis Gibbs, associate professor of history at Hope College, has received a three-month research fellowship from the Herzog August Bibliothek of Wolfenbüttel, Germany.

She will use the support to conduct research on Archbishop Hermann von Wied as part of her larger study of the social and political history of Cologne in the 16th century. The Herzog August Bibliothek is a major research library with significant collections in the history of early modern Germany.

Cologne's wealth of religious institutions and strong identification with the traditional Catholic church helped the city weather the storms of the Reformation era, including an attempt by von Wied, Archbishop of Cologne, to institute Protestant reforms in the city in 1540s.

Gibbs, who joined the Hope faculty in 1996, will carry out her research at the library in Germany during spring semester 2011, when she will be on sabbatical leave from the college. The research will appear in her projected book, "Religion and Civic Identity in Cologne, 1450-1580."